


Half a what now?

by shadowmaat



Category: Star Wars: Ahsoka - E. K. Johnston, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Hypocrisy, ableisim, bringing the salt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-15 07:13:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15407754
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shadowmaat/pseuds/shadowmaat
Summary: Ahsoka and Maul are about to fight, but what she says to him starts a conflict of a different kind. Sometimes even heroes can be wrong.





	Half a what now?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SLWalker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SLWalker/gifts).



> SLWalker challenged and I answered the call. Ableism doesn't become acceptable and funny just because the hero is the one doing it. Also, while I did read the Ahsoka novel, it's been a while and I don't have the book on hand to reference, so I decided to make it all up instead. Much more fun that way, especially since it means I'm not stuck with generic white human Mandalorians.

“It’ll be a fair fight then,” Tano retorted, looking Maul up and down. “You’re only half a Sith.”

If she thought to get under his skin that way, she was badly mistaken. He was used to the insults, the ridicule, and the constant focus on his appearance, be it his cybernetics or his face. The number of times he’d been called “animal” or reduced to an “it” were beyond counting and it didn’t even sting anymore. As far as he was concerned, if it made his enemies underestimate him then it was a point in his favor. The Mandalorians with him, however, were another matter.

“What the kriff, lady?” Jens demanded, her outrage clear even through the vocoder in her helmet.

“That’s  _Jetii_  morality for you,” Gissk hissed from Maul’s other flank. “They demand resspect for all life but when they don’t like ssomeone it’s fine to inssult their dissabilitiess.”

Maul hid his surprise. Tano did not.

“What?” Frowning, she shook her head. “I’m not insulting his disabilities! I’m- he’s a _Sith!”_

 _“Former_ Sith,” Maul corrected. “You’ll have to forgive Lady Tano, she was raised by that temperamental brat Skywalker and so her manners can be somewhat lacking.”

He’d known that his warriors would fight for him, but he hadn’t expected them to... to _defend his honor,_ or whatever it was they were attempting to do. And it wasn’t just talk, either; he could feel their offense simmering in the Force. No one had ever cared about him before. Hells, even  _he_  didn’t care most of the time, but now, suddenly, he felt the briefest flicker of- not warmth, but _appreciation_ for the people around him.

“Oh, so if he's a Sith that makes it okay to mock his prosthetics?” Jens shifted, her hands coming to rest on the hilts of her blasters. “My vod’ika lost her leg in a speeder crash. You saying she’s only 3/4 Mando?”

“What? No, I-”

"3/4 of a Mando iss jusst one less quarter for her to hate," Gissk said.

"I never said anything about your sister!"

Tano sounded bewildered. She was losing and the fight hadn’t even started yet. Maul loved it.

“Your own former Master lost his arm in a duel,” he said, deciding to add fuel to the fire she’d accidentally set. “I doubt you’d ever consider mocking him about it.”

Tano bared her teeth at him. “You leave my Master out of this! Anakin is a good man! Unlike you!”

“Can’t be much of a teacher if he didn't teach you bassic resspect for your enemy,” Gissk said.

“That  _thing_  you call your leader doesn’t deserve my respect!” Tano ignited her sabers. “But he _does_ deserve my justice!”

Maul readied himself, but waited to see how his commanders would react first.

“Oh, ssso it’sss  _thing_  now, isss it?” Gissk’s armor creaked as they reached for their blasters, their voice adding extra sibilance to their words. "I get that one a lot myssself, you know."

 _“Jetiise ures ijaat,”_  Jens growled.

Maul raised a hand, stopping them.

“Lady Tano is no Jedi,” he said. “But you’re right; she _is_ without honor. Perhaps I should teach it to her.”

Grinning, he used his prosthetic legs to leap towards her, ready for the  _real_  fight to begin.


End file.
